


"The Hands of Time" or "Something Borrowed, Something New"

by mynameisqwerty



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: All that good "Harry is a Weasley by bonds stronger than blood or marriage" fare, Bonding, F/M, Family, Gen, Grief, Major character death - Freeform, actually you'll probably cry more, all that good good stuff, also fair warning a certain twin is discussed in some detail so I'm tagging this, anyway have fun, get ready to laugh and cry in equal measure, nothing on screen but the grieving ... by god folks it's palpable, you know just in case
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:22:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23963827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mynameisqwerty/pseuds/mynameisqwerty
Summary: Molly comes in with a gift for Harry before he walks down the aisle, something that brings back memories of coming home after the Battle of Hogwarts, and the people they left behind.
Relationships: Ginny Weasley/Harry Potter, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Molly Weasley and Harry Potter, harry potter and molly weasley
Comments: 3
Kudos: 31





	"The Hands of Time" or "Something Borrowed, Something New"

Harry was trying to remember how to breathe properly when Molly knocked on the door, opening it gently as she did so.

“How are you doing, Harry dear?” 

Harry considered telling her that he had felt less nervous walking into the Great Hall to face Voldemort than he did right now about to walk outside this room, but decided against it.

Molly might not appreciate that.

Instead he merely swallowed, but she seemed to understand. She quietly closed the door behind her as she walked towards him, pulling a small package out from the little bag at her arm as she went.

“I just thought I’d pop in quickly to give you this.”

He took the package curiously. It was about the size of a Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans box, but flatter - like it was made to hold silverware or jewellery. The smooth, ageing cardboard of the faded blue box felt comforting in his palm.

“Do mothers of the bride usually give the groom gifts before the ceremony?” he inquired curiously. He still wasn’t entirely firm on what was meant to happen at a wedding. The only one he’d ever been to had turned into more of a raid than a celebration. 

“Sometimes,” she said with a soft smile.

Harry looked up at her, almost to confirm that this was okay, before opening the box.

There was a long silence. 

***

When they had finally come home from Hogwarts that night so many years ago, the unreal daze of a victory that had been won on the hard back of sacrifice still weighed heavily on all of them. The Burrow felt hollow, the absence of people who should have been there filling the space in a way that caught in the chest. Left in that hazy fog, it had been some time before they found it. Harry had been in the kitchen with some of the others, holding - but not drinking - a cup of rapidly cooling tea that had been spiked with Firewhisky and staring vaguely into nothing when they heard Mrs Weasley’s soft cry and the thump of something heavy hitting the ground. They had rushed out, ready for more Death Eaters, to fight, to die, only to find her kneeling on the floor next to the laundry basket, cradling the clock hand that had belonged to Fred. It had fallen from the face sometime during the long night. 

They had tried every spell, charm, and trick they could think of, but no matter what they did it fell to the same spot, bouncing from rug to wooden floor. Not even Percy’s Permanent Sticking Charm kept it in place. It was that moment when it slowly dawned on them - without anyone having to say it - that where Fred was, the clock could no longer reach him.

In the end, they framed it and put it up on the wall, right beside everyone else.

***

In the box, was a small silver clock hand, with a picture of Harry in it. 

“Well, we thought we’d better make it official, dear … given … given what’s happening today,” Molly said. 

Harry looked up, a slight frown on his face. “You didn’t give one of these to Fleur …”

Molly looked a bit embarrassed. “Yes, well … it’s not … this isn’t because you're marrying Ginny. You’ve always been a part of this family, ever since the boys flew you in on that stupid car. Before even that, really. You and Ron were brothers long before today, and you’ll be brothers long after as well, I would hope. It just that today was a good as any to --”

Harry pulled her into a hug, cutting her off before she could finish. He thought it was the hug he should have been giving his own mother, but then realised with a jolt of the heart as she squeezed him back tightly, that he already was. 

Molly looked teary-eyed when Harry finally pulled away, and he knew he did too. 

He was in a slightly awkward position, having been so careful to protect the box’s precious contents, and Molly realised he was still holding it. 

“The clock was built to have nine hands,” she said, the thickness in her voice destroying the illusion of her almost off-hand tone. “It will be nice to see it full again.” 

Harry looked her very carefully in the eyes. He needed to know that she understood how much this meant to him, and how much he knew it meant to her. “It’s meant to have ten.”

Molly sniffled, but she also smiled. “Yes dear, I know.” 

She took out a pocket handkerchief, dabbed her eyes, and then made a business of trying to look like her eyes weren’t red and puffy.

“Well, put it somewhere you won’t lose it, there’s a duck.” Her voice still sounded a little thick. “We can put it up after the ceremony,”

“I’d like to wear it, if I could?” His voice was fairly thick too. She looked up at him.

“Er … right next to the flower, if that’s okay?” he continued, vaguely aware that he was starting to babble. “Could you do it? Could you put it there?”

He was afraid his hands would shake too much, but as she gave a watery nod that turned into several very fast nods, and carefully fished the little object out of the tissue paper, her hands were just as wobbly as his would have been. 

The little face of Harry looked cheerfully up at both of them, utterly unaware of the storm of emotion roiling around him, as Molly tucked the clock hand into his buttonhole, right next to the carnation, giving him two little pats on the chest for good measure. 

“There you are, all set.” she said, her voice shaking just as much as her hands. She cleared her throat. “You look quite the picture. Very handsome.” 

Harry looked down at his jacket and smiled knowing that when Ginny walked down the aisle to meet him, there would be two Harry’s beaming back at her. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone who encouraged - or discouraged 😉 - me to write this, particularly Bayana, Robyn, Delia, and Connie. You're invaluable.


End file.
